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Interstel Starship
Background In Starflight, in the year 2150, man begins colonization throughout the galaxy. Due to various possible wars (some details are sketchy) and other calamities, there are downfalls of various societies, races and planets, one being Earth in 3480 (leading to what is known as the Dark Years, which begin in 3520). Over the centuries as mankind and technology rebuilds itself, spaceflight is rediscovered in 4500, as well as Endurium in 4594, which is used for fuel (which had been discovered hundreds of years earlier). In 4615, the first groups of ships set out to try to form various alliances, as solar flares are threatening the galaxy and the mystery as to why this is happening must be solved or else many could perish. The alliance of several races results in Interstel, and in the year 4620, on board the Arth space station (where humans from planet Earth have relocated), an Interstel Starship has been granted to a captain to equip and build the ship, as well as a crew in order to try to solve the potentially deadly mystery. Crew and races Interstel has granted a captain 12,000 M. U.s (or Monetary Units) in order to build up an ISS (Interstel) ship with equipment and crew to begin their mission. (Note: this is on the PC version; on the Sega Genesis version, the amount was increased to 50,000.) Due to limited funds, there is only one position per primary function on board the ISS ship: there is only a captain, navigator, engineer, doctor, communications officer, and science officer that can be on board. The ship can be staffed with Velox, Thrynn, Elowan, android and/or Human personnel. All can be trained (at the cost of M. U.s per session at the Arth space station) for their specific positions except for the android, which is hard-wired and cannot learn new skills. Ship equipment and upgrades An ISS ship is very bare bones at the beginning, having only two cargo pods, a Terrain Vehicle and a set of Class 1 engines; the rest is up to the captain to build up from there (as well as name the ship) in Starflight. In Starflight 2: Trade Routes of the Cloud Nebula, the captain is given six cargo pods to start with. The ship is very easily upgraded as long as the captain has the funds to do so, as these funds are acquired by mining planets and selling the minerals, possibly selling various found life forms and/or artifacts to either the Arth space station or certain races, and by recommending good potential worlds for colonization in Starflight. In Starflight 2: Trade Routes of the Cloud Nebula, minerals are not bought back by Interstel at Arth and can only be bartered with alien races. A ship’s engine, shield, and armor class is ranked from 1-5, with 5 being the highest and most expensive, although this class is the top of the line (as a set of Class 5 engines travel the furthest while requiring the lowest consumption of fuel, for instance). Various artifacts found around the galaxy can also help boost a ship’s fuel efficiency, help with the navigation computer, or increase its weapons’ strength, depending on the artifact. Jump pods can be used in Starflight 2: Trade Routes of the Cloud Nebula to aid in interstellar flight and cut down distances, which will, in turn, cut down on fuel consumption, although they are unpredictable at first. Ships can also be equipped with weapons -- should the need arise -- with lasers and missiles, again ranging from Classes 1-5 on the PC version as far as effectiveness, although on the Genesis version there are multitudes of weapons to choose from, with the Classes being outright abolished. In Starflight 2: Trade Routes of the Cloud Nebula, blasto pods are also available, which are powerful, directed torpedoes that take the place of a cargo pod. Interstel Starships ran on Endurium fuel until sometime after the year 4620, which those ships began using Shyneum instead during the year 4639 or sometime later. An Interstel ship also comes with a Terrain Vehicle, which is used planetside to scoop up minerals, house artifacts and capture life forms for sale or trade later. Miscellaneous *An ISS ship cannot launch from the Arth station until all crew positions have been assigned and the ship has been named. *The ship also comes with a distress call, although there is usually a price to pay, as Interstel will fine the captain if the ship’s TV runs out of fuel while planetside (which destroys the TV’s engine and has to be replaced) or the ISS ship itself runs out of fuel and has to be towed back to Arth. *At times when the ISS ship sustains damage (either via combat or otherwise), the minerals of cobalt, aluminum, molybedenum, promethium and/or titanium can be needed to repair the ship. If a mineral is not on board that is required, the ship’s repair(s) might not be completed until the material is either gathered, bought from the Arth spaceport, or the ship is repaired at the spaceport. Specifications *Empty weight: 70 tons *Full weight: 495 tons *Acceleration: 1-4, 6 (depending on engine class) *Engine classes: 1-5 *Shield classes: 1-5 *Armor classes: 1-5 *Weapons available: Pulse cannon, tri-cannon, fusion blaster, photon torpedo, phaser, lance, twin-beam, buzz bombs (Genesis version), missiles, lasers (PC versions) *Maximum cargo pods available: 16 *Crew support: Velox, Thrynn, Elowan, android, Human *Crew positions: captain, navigator, engineer, doctor, communications officer, science officer *Fuel: Endurium (until 4620+), Shyneum (4639?) *Also included: Terrain Vehicle (for planetside exploration) Trivia If the player is able to solve the mystery of the solar flares in Starflight, it is discovered that the so-called “fuel” known as Endurium is actually a race of aliens known as the Ancients. This was originally discovered in 3382, although the record was not found until sometime after 4620. Shyneum then became the fuel of choice by Interstel in 4639 or 4640 (when Starflight 2: Trade Routes of the Cloud Nebula takes place) once Endurium was banned for use with ISS starships. Category:Starflight ships Category:Starflight 2: Trade Routes of the Cloud Nebula ships Category:Starflight universe